"So, did you find out anything?"
After Kali caught her breath, Bai Zemin helped her straighten her hair and tidy up her slightly wrinkled dress.
She remained sitting calmly as she trusted the person in front of her completely. In fact, this was nothing since he was the one who clothed her and put her to bed 95% of the nights.
"Just a little." Kali sighed and said with a hint of astonishment in her voice, "Zemin, you really own that throne? How did such a thing happen?"
Bai Zemin explained to her for the second time everything that happened in the central palace of Hero City, and then pointed out, "I can feel that I have a close connection with the Throne of Creation so yes, I assume that I am its owner now."
Kali nodded.
Indeed, she could see Bai Zemin's connection to the throne. It was like a thin golden thread linking the two, a thread that could not be broken or tangled.
"Actually, the name of that throne of yours can be read in two ways." She said suddenly.
"Ah?" Bai Zemin took a step back and sat on a chair he took out from his storage ring near her, "What do you mean? Although it's quite strange, even I can read the runes on the bottom of the throne."
"Those are Dwarven Runes, indeed. The runes that were written there can be translated as Throne of Creation but also as Throne of Destruction."
"Is it similar to our hànzì?" Bai Zemin frowned at the thought of how each Chinese character could be translated in different ways or with different meanings.
"You could say yes." Kali nodded, "But, this throne is really scary... It would be good if you use it as little as possible until we slowly figure out its functions."
Bai Zemin frowned even harder after hearing Kali's words. He asked, "What do you mean specifically?"
Kali was silent for a few minutes, and Bai Zemin simply waited in silence as clearly what she was going to say needed to be organized first so that he could understand.
There was no point in saying a thousand words if he didn't get the point after all.
"Before I didn't know because I had no way of learning, but after your younger sister Meng Qi helped me read the book of runes that that female named Fire Sorrow lent us I understood that there are three different families of runes."
Kali continued, and Bai Zemin just listened.
"First, there are the Dwarven Runes. The power of the Dwarven Runes is the weakest among the three families of runes, but it still cannot be underestimated. For example, most of the runes I drew on your equipment are Dwarven Runes but their power is already evident; even the Sky Destroyer is composed more than 80% by Dwarven Runes."
The Dwarven Runes were the weakest but they were already that strong...
Bai Zemin smiled bitterly in his heart. He had no talent for runes whatsoever... Otherwise he could probably become thousands of times stronger in a short time.
"Secondly, there are the Heavenly Runes. Each Heavenly Rune has enough power to shake the sky and change the destiny of a race... Let me give you an example, in your battle against the Demon Lord, you were able to win so easily thanks to the special skill of your great sword, weren't you? A skill that is a product of a Heavenly Rune called Treacherous Rune."
If not for his greatsword's skill, Bai Zemin would not have been able to drain 50% of the Demon Lord's Health. This could have become the cause of his death, as even with the support of such a skill Bai Zemin ended up fainting and relying on the strength of others to survive after losing his strength when he was surrounded by Eventide World's strongest soul evolvers.
If he died, the human race on Earth would be doomed so, to say that a Heavenly Rune had the power to change the destiny of a race was not exaggerated by any means.
"The Sky Destroyer's main cannon and primary engine are powered by Heavenly Runes of Power, Charge, Potency, Acceleration, and Distortion. If you remove those five runes the power of that battleship would not be much greater than that of a normal space rocket group." Kali pointed her index finger at Bai Zemin and calmly said, "The 60% runes in Annihilation of the Falling Sky are also Heavenly Runes. Remove those runes and Annihilation of the Falling Sky would become a pitiful weapon for you."
Kali's words made Bai Zemin finally realize how terrifying the power of the runes was. He already knew it, but this was the first time he heard so much about runes, therefore, he was just confirming it.
"Wait a moment." Bai Zemin's eyes went wide as he realized something, "You said there are three families of runes, and Heavenly Runes are in second place?"
"That's right." Kali's voice became unusually serious as she nodded, "Above the Dwarven Runes and surpassing the Heavenly Runes by a large margin are the Immemorial Runes."
"Immemorial Runes..." Bai Zemin muttered to himself.
"Bullet, the Immemorial Runes are different from the Dwarven Runes and Heavenly Runes." Kali sighed, "It is said that only about 100 Immemorial Runes exist, and all of them were born together with the universe so they can't be drawn by anyone... In other words, an Immemorial Rune can only be unique and no two of the same kind can exist."
Bai Zemin stayed silent.
Although Immemorial Runes were rare and special, he didn't know anything about runes so he couldn't really know how Kali was feeling as he spoke.
"It is said that some Immemorial Runes, unlike Dwarven Runes and Heavenly Runes, can be used on the body or skills and even the soul to strengthen the individual."
Now, those words changed everything.
If the power of a weapon as powerful as Annihilation of the Falling Sky depended greatly on the runes drawn on it, then couldn't a normal human become a terrifying soul evolver just by possessing an Immemorial Rune?
"The Throne of Creation, or Throne of Destruction whichever you prefer to call it, apparently has 3 Immemorial Runes on it." Kali announced.
"What?" Bai Zemin stood up abruptly. He looked at the stone throne in shock, "Three of the hundred Immemorial Runes that exist are on that throne?"
Kali knew that asking him to calm down was stupid considering what she had just said so she continued, "Actually, I know practically nothing about Immemorial Runes... my knowledge of runes is limited to Heavenly Runes, and I don't even know all of them..."
Slowly, Bai Zemin began to calm down after listening and analyzing what Kali just said.
He sat down again, and after a long time, he asked softly, "That means you don't know which Immemorial Runes the throne has?"
Kali nodded, "That's right... There are three runes that I cannot understand let alone decipher or analyze on that stone throne, so I assume they are three legendary Immemorial Runes. I don't dare to touch them or try to take them carelessly, because I don't know what it might do."
"Don't." Bai Zemin said in a serious voice. After a moment, he nodded, "Very well... There is no hurry. I'll just try to strengthen my connection with the Throne of Creation first... I believe that eventually every piece will fall into place. There is no hurry."
He said 'no hurry' twice.
Kali stared in his direction, and after an unknown amount of time, she suddenly said, "You have changed."
Bai Zemin looked at her with a slight smile and shrugged, "I became stronger. You can feel it right?"
She nodded but then shook her head, "That's not what I mean."
After a brief pause, she continued, "In the past you were always rushing through everything. Even in your battles you fought like a lunatic willing to die as long as you could tear off one more piece of flesh from your enemy. Now you are different... Your fighting style became more refined after evolving into the Second Order, and now even your mentality seems to have grown."
Bai Zemin looked at her in amazement, and after a long time couldn't help but smile wryly, "Kali, if it weren't for both Lilith and Fire Sorrow confirming your age thanks to your bones I might think that you are actually an old woman who looks young."
"Why? Would you prefer me to be an old woman? That way I could be... What do you call it? Oh, right. That way I'd be a legal loli."
"Pu- Where did you hear that?!" Bai Zemin almost fell to the ground when he heard what Kali said.
"It was Wen Yun." Kali gave her away without a second thought.
"I knew it! It was that brat!" Bai Zemin was furious and vowed to leave Wen Yun's butt red when he returned home.
"Hehehe..." Kali giggled happily.
She was starting to smile more and no longer hid it when she was alone with him.
Bai Zemin stayed a while longer with Kali before leaving.
However, he left both Annihilation of the Falling Sky and Longinus, both spears, so she could study the runes drawn on both weapons.
"I'll do what I can." She assured him nothing as both weapons were too old, and Kali herself did not know all the Heavenly Runes and effects in existence.
"Put the throne aside for now." Bai Zemin warned her, "It's already good the way it is. There's no need to rush and do things wrong."
It was only after making sure that Kali really wouldn't touch the Throne of Creation again that Bai Zemin left the Collector's Pocket World without worrying.
"I should return for now..." He muttered to himself before heading to the university gymnasium.
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